To Be Judas
by DreamInWords
Summary: <html><head></head>The deepest circle of hell is reserved for those who betray their friends. The events leading up to the 31st of October, 1981.</html>
1. Chapter 1: 25 August 1978

25 August 1978

The magpie sat on the bracket of the pub sign, ruffling its black and white plumage with its beak before once again staring down at the sidewalk. It cocked its head slightly to the side, watching intently as a plump young man approached the aged building. The man seemed in good spirits, greeting the attractive, blonde woman who was walking in the opposite direction toward him. She brushed by him without so much as a hello and the young man frowned, sending a sharp glance towards her as she walked out of sight. The mousy-haired man glanced up at the bird, and the magpie began chattering noisily at him.

"Shoo!" The man spat while waving his hands at the bird, annoyed that even the bird seemed to mock him.

With one last glance, the bird flew off over the rooftops and out of view. The young man entered the familiar establishment and sat down at the far table with enough seats for four. The Leaky Cauldron had always been his pub of choice, and he was glad today that his friends would be joining him. A grey-haired wizard who had worked at the Leaky Cauldron longer than the young man had been alive approached where he was sitting and gruffly asked for his order. The young man thought for a moment to try something different, but decided on his usual and informed the barman of his selection. Moments later, the old man returned with a pint of brown ale and placed it in front of him.

"Just you again?" The man grunted.

"I'm waiting on some friends, thanks." The young man said casually. He hated to admit it, but he frequented the bar more often alone than with company.

He glanced down at his watch for a moment, realizing it was now already quarter past when they had agreed to meet. He never knew the others to be timely, except for Remus of course, but started to grow anxious that maybe his friends had decided not to come after all. He tapped his finger nervously on the table before taking a moment to take another drink. His nervousness instantly eased when he saw Remus Lupin enter through the door. The mousy-haired man waved his friend over, and with a smile, Remus joined him.

"No sign of the other two, Peter?" Remus asked, looking around the pub.

"No... not yet." He answered.

"I didn't mean to be late, but I noticed a 'help wanted' sign in the window of Flourish and Blotts and thought I would inquire." Remus explained, taking a seat across from Peter.

"And?"

Remus frowned. "He had already acquired a copy of the Register, so he knew I was a werewolf as soon as I gave my name. He said he'd mull it over, but I don't think I'll be hired."

"I'm sorry, mate. Keep your chin up."

Peter knew how frustrating the job search had been for Remus. It was no secret that prejudices existed in the wizarding world against werewolves, but the full effects of its reality hadn't hit until Remus was faced with little to no employment opportunities after leaving Hogwarts. The pair had owled back and forth over the past months as Remus had tried again and again to find employment, only to be turned away due to his condition.

"Hello, mates." Sirius bellowed as he made his way to the table with James not too far behind. "Sorry Jamsie and I are late. We would have been here sooner, but I couldn't seem to get him away from a certain redhead."

James shrugged. "I keep thinking one day she'll wake up and realize with horror that she's dating me. I've got to make the most of these moments while I can."

"Remus, what are you drinking today?" Sirius said, pointing at his friend. "It's on me."

"I'm fine, thanks." Remus said with a look of guilt behind his eyes. Both James and Sirius had been helping him financially since they had graduated from Hogwarts, knowing Remus was struggling since being unable to attain work.

"Butterbeer it is!" Sirius said cheerfully as he went to the bar with James.

Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled.

After a few moments, the duo returned with drinks in hand. Sirius handed Remus a pint of butterbeer and nudged him over to sit next to him on the bench. James placed his pint on the table and took the seat next to Peter.

"Well, lads. I've got an announcement." James told them, taking a swig from his pint and setting it back on the table with a loud thud. "I'm going to ask Evans to marry me. "

Sirius choked on his firewhisky. "You didn't tell me that!"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" James chuckled. "I figured I'd tell you when we were all together."

"Congratulations, James." Remus said, grinning.

"Now don't congratulate me yet. I only said I'm asking her. She's still got to say yes."

"She'd be mental not to." Peter chimed in.

"Oh, I dunno, Pete." Sirius grinned. "I think she'd be mental to say yes. Can you imagine being married to James? Besides, those kids'll turn out incredibly ugly looking."

James kicked his best friend under the table, laughing. "Who said anything about kids? I'm not trying to raise a kid during this war." His voice turned serious as he muttered, "Merlin knows we'll all be lucky to make it out alive anyway.

"Here's to living until we're all as old as Dumbledore!" Peter said, raising his glass, and the four drank to that.

"I don't know if I'll want to live as old as Dumbledore. D'you think I'd still keep my devilish good looks?" Sirius joked.

"Sirius, I have no doubt that when you're old and grey you'll still have swarms of women at your door." Remus insisted, laughing.

"Well, I'll drink to that, Moony." Sirius chimed, taking a swig from his butterbeer.

"Would you really not want to live until you're that old?" Peter asked, frowning at his friend.

Sirius contemplated it for a moment and shrugged, "I dunno. I don't think it'd be much fun to be that old. Unless we all make it to be that old, that is. I imagine James and I could still get into some trouble at ripe old age of one-hundred and fifty, don't you think?"

Peter tuned out of the conversation for a moment, as he noticed a brunette witch with ragged robes selling the Daily Prophet on the other side of the pub. He excused himself from the table as Sirius was rambling off the elderly hijinks they could get into, and wandered over her way to buy one. His mum refused to allow a subscription to come to their house, especially due to the increasingly depressing news, but Peter wanted to stay current with the goings-on, even if his mum did not.

"Daily Prophet, love? Only a knut." She said, waving the newest edition in front of him.

Peter dodged the paper that was being waved in his face and handed her a knut. "I'll take one, thanks."

She handed him the paper and he glanced at the headline as he walked back to join the rest of his friends. MINISTRY OFFICIALS TARGETED. Peter sighed as he started to read the first few lines:

_Ministry of Magic insider confirms that two high level Ministry officials have gone missing in what appears to be the latest attempt at Death Eater infiltration into the Ministry. Florence Belby and Gabe Alderton, both of the Department of Security, were reported missing after failing to arrive at work several days in a row._

"Are you going to stand there and read it by yourself or let the rest of us see?" James asked as Peter stood by the table.

Peter pulled his eyes away from the article to see his three friends staring at him. "Oh, sorry."

He laid the paper out on the table in front of them, and the rest of the marauders crowded over his shoulder to read. It hadn't been an easy go lately in the fight against You-Know-Who. The paper was riddled with disappearances and sudden deaths, with the mood of the wizarding world becoming filled with more and more paranoia and fear.

"Dumbledore already told us this," muttered Remus as he read over the article. "Nothing like the Prophet being a little behind the times."

It was true. Most of what was being reported in the paper had already been mentioned by Dumbledore earlier in the week. The Order meeting had been a dismal one. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy being in the Order of the Phoenix, but the mood had certainly gotten worse in only the few months since they joined. Dumbledore had approached them immediately after graduation from Hogwarts and had explained that he had a group of witches and wizards who would be loyal to the cause of defeating the so-called 'Dark Lord', and that he hoped that they would join. Sirius, Remus, and James had agreed instantly, but Peter hadn't been so sure. Being honest, It had taken much prodding from Sirius to get him to agree to be a part of it. It wasn't that he didn't like Dumbledore, but he was hesitant to do anything that put his life so much on the line. However, the first meeting had been filled with so much excited optimism and fierce determination that Peter couldn't help but feel proud of his affiliation with such a group. The plans and missions laid out with careful certainty had given them hope that it would be possible to defeat You-Know-Who after all. But, unfortunately for them, it didn't take long for the realities of war to trump the optimism of youth, and Peter was starting to doubt his decision.

At their latest meeting, Dumbledore had reported gravely on the disappearances that were beginning to hit very close to home for many of the members of the Order. One disappearance that had been mentioned in the paper was a member of the Order that Peter had barely known. Florence Belby, an older witch who worked in the Ministry in the Department of Security and a good friend of Alastor Moody, had disappeared over the last week from her home, leaving no trace of her except for the clear struggle that had taken place before her abduction. She had been an early member of the Order, but Peter had only seen her once since joining. It was odd, Peter thought, seeing her name in the paper. Her life and legacy reduced to the black and white print of her disappearance. He doubted that the Death Eaters had let her live and hoped silently that his life would never end like that.

James read one of the death notices for a moment before announcing, "If I go, you be sure to write something less dull than these obituaries. I'd like something nice, well written. Maybe some poetry thrown in there for good measure."

"I will make sure the valour of your life is written about in exceedingly good verse." said Sirius, turning his attention to his best friend. "I'll make Remus write it, is what I'll do. Remus - come up with something catchy and poetry-like for James' obituary."

Remus thought for a moment and cleared his throat dramatically,

"A limerick, maybe?

_That wizard named James was a blunder_

_How he married Evans, a wonder_

_But he kept goofing off,_

_Though she told him to stop,_

_And now the poor bloke's 6 feet under." _

The group paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. James, laughing so hard he was almost in tears, "Can't say I disagree in the slightest."

James was certainly better than he used to be, but Sirius seemed to always bring out the recklessness in him. It was a good thing Lily had grown fond of Sirius, or she might never have started dating James to begin with. She had acquired some sort of power over Sirius as well, and with one look of an intensely focused glance, she could reel in their childish behavior.

"Moony, you definitely get the honor of writing it." James said, recovering from his laughter. "You'll outlive us all anyway."

Remus shook his head. "Don't be daft, you know I'll be the first to go."

"What are you talking about, Moony? You know you'll be the last of us to die. You're much smarter than the rest of us. Definitely less likely to get into trouble." James insisted.

"In case you've forgotten lately, I am a werewolf. You know, my kind happens to be very prone to self-injury and death." Remus remarked.

"But your instinct is spot on at least," reminded Sirius. "You saved us last month."

The four of them had been on a mission for the Order, watching over the main hall of the Ministry of Magic when Remus had suddenly sensed that something was amiss. They had managed to call in for reinforcements right before Death Eaters stormed the building.

Remus shrugged, "Who'll be the first to go, then, if not me?" He joked.

Peter watched Sirius glance around at his three companions before settling his eyes on him, "If we're taking bets, I think you'll be the first. Sorry mate, but you do happen to have the worst luck." Sirius said, looking at him with a grin.

Peter's heart fell. He knew there was some sense of truth to that.

"I doubt it'll be due to Voldemort though," James said, seeing the look on his face. "More likely you'll trip down the stairs or something."

The four laughed, including Peter. He wasn't particularly good on his feet, and wasn't very good at dueling either. The combination of the two leaving him quite vulnerable.

"We've got to work on your dueling skills though, mate." Sirius told him. "I imagine you couldn't give a fly a nosebleed."

"Likely because flies don't have noses." Remus added, defending Peter.

Sirius smirked and conceded the point, but Peter knew he really should practice more. The rest of his friends were incredibly talented at dueling, especially Sirius and James who were practically unbeatable. When those two dueled alongside each other, they read each other's movements as if they were planning them in a conjoined brain, making it quite a challenge for anyone who tried to duel the pair. Peter had managed not to get into any direct confrontation with the Death Eaters yet, as he had been the one to leave their post at the Ministry to find help, but was not optimistic about his chances if he did.

"That leaves you, Sirius." James said, turning on his friend. "I think you'll die in battle: a dramatic fight of good versus evil where you'll fight until the bitter end as you protect some future woman of your dreams-"

"- no, no. I can only imagine that Sirius will remain a wild bachelor until the end of his days-" Remus interrupted.

"Boys," chimed Sirius. "I happen to agree with the both of you." He said to his friends' confusion. "I can see it now as James says, dramatic fight and all. But the woman-of-my-dreams, the woman I die dramatically protecting, the woman who sobs over my prone body-"

"Get on with it!" James insisted.

"-Will be none other than the beautiful-"

"Sirius."

"-the magnificent-"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Illustrious... Minerva McGonagall."

James spat out a mouthful of firewhisky as the group fell into another bout of laughter over the mental image Sirius had planted.

The night went on, filled with happiness and laughter as the sun slowly began to set outside the windows. The Daily Prophet was discarded to the side of the table as the group spent the rest of the evening talking and joking about anything that didn't relate to the war. Peter thought to himself how easy it was inside the Leaky Cauldron to forget the horrors and casualties that were happening outside. For now they could remain happy and whole as they finished their drinks and enjoyed each other's company.

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><p>Thanks for reading! If you can take a second to review, I'd much appreciate.<p>

Next Up: a marauder wedding


	2. Chapter 2: 6 October 1978

6 October 1978

Of course Lily had said yes. James had written them all days later giving a detailed account of exactly how he proposed and the excited nature in which Lily had agreed to be his wife. Both had agreed to a rather short engagement, which hadn't surprised Peter. Not only was there rising pressure to be married before the war got even worse, Lily's mother had taken ill over the past year leading up to their engagement. The doctor had told her mum that it was cancer, which had caused Lily to scour hurriedly over spellbooks and wizarding healing charms until she found the one that could help cure her. To Lily's dismay, her mother had listened to the advice of her eldest daughter and rejected all thoughts of having Lily heal her with magic and insisted on trusting her muggle doctors and healing the muggle way. Her mum's condition had unfortunately become more and more dire in the weeks leading up to their engagement, and Lily wanted to make sure that they were wed quickly in case she passed away. With her father having died several years prior in a car crash, and her sister refusing to attend any wedding where 'freaks' would attend, Lily was insistent on making sure that her mother could be there. James had agreed without hesitation, and so less than two months after their engagement, Peter found himself in his finest dress robes on their wedding day.

He had apparated to Mr. and Mrs. Potter's home, a large house out in the countryside. Looking around after appearing in their yard, he gained his bearings and walked towards the well-kept building. The ceremony was to be held out on the lawn, and already chairs with blue sashes had been set up in preparation for the guests. There were still a few wizards putting the final touches on the tent and reception area, and Peter stared in awe as he walked by. It was beautiful, and he was sure that it was everything James and Lily had hoped for.

Spotting Remus walking through the doorway of the house, Peter quickly closed the distance and followed through the door that Remus had just entered. A bit behind his friend, he watched Remus reach the top of the staircase and Peter followed, not exactly certain where he was heading. Hearing the familiar voices of his friends down the hallway, he picked the door that he was sure they were behind and knocked twice.

"Peter! You're here!" Sirius said cheerfully, opening the door.

Peter embraced Sirius and Remus, and watched with amusement at James staring at himself in the mirror, anxiously smoothing over his hair. Sirius walked over to the dresser that had now been turned into a makeshift bar and poured a drink, handing it to James who gratefully accepted.

"Nervous are you?" Remus asked the groom as he downed the glass.

"Not in the slightest." James replied with a lie. "Nope. Can't say that I have any reason to be nervous, you know. It's only my wedding day, after all."

"Don't let Prongs fool you. He had to redo his tie about eight times this morning as he was so nervous he kept messing it up." Sirius informed the two, "In the end, I had to do it for him."

"Didn't you do it by magic?" Peter asked James.

"He did. Turns out when you're as nervous as James is, even the simplest bit of magic becomes increasingly difficult." Sirius answered for him. "I've never seen him so flustered."

"Mates, I'm getting married today. I'm getting married. Married to Evans. Lily Evans is marrying me." James said, barely listening to their conversation.

"James." Sirius said, dramatically rolling his eyes. "You are marrying the woman of your dreams. I know this, because all of us have had the unfortunate experience of hearing you muttering in your sleep about her on more than one occasion. The ceremony is going to be perfect. The reception is going to be perfect. In only a short while, Lily Evans is going to walk down this aisle and become your beautiful wife for all of eternity. I need you to get yourself together. We won't let you mess it up. That's what best mates are for."

James looked at him for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Right."

Sirius motioned for the other two to pour themselves a drink, and Peter and Remus gratefully did so. Trying to get the groom's mind off of his nerves, Remus explained the latest development in potioneering, the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion which would allow him to keep his mind during transformation.

"Blimey, Moony, that's fantastic." James expressed, setting his drink down. "So you'll have that for the next moon?"

"It's incredibly difficult to make," frowned Remus.

"But you're practically a genius," exclaimed Peter.

The werewolf smiled, "You give me too much credit. This potion is considerably beyond my skill."

"Couldn't Dumbledore make it?" Peter asked excitedly.

"I never got the impression that he particularly liked potions." Remus told them. "And even if he did, I wouldn't ask him."

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"He's busy enough as it is. This potion is complicated; you just don't understand." Remus sighed.

"We'll figure out how to make it then." James plotted. "Between the four of us, surely we'll be able to figure it out!"

Remus smiled weakly and nodded, but before he could respond, a soft knock turned the marauder's heads to the side of the room. The door opened slowly to reveal Mrs. Potter peeking her head through the door. Peter had seen her before as they boarded the train to Hogwarts, but even since the last time he saw her, he thought she looked considerably older. Her hair was fully grey and there were more lines on her face than before. However, despite her age, her eyes still shined with a youthful energy.

"Oh, James." She said lovingly, staring at her only child. "Oh, you look so handsome."

She walked over to her son and licked her fingers in an attempt to smooth down a wild piece of his hair.

"Mum!" James protested sheepishly as his mother patted at his hair.

"You and this hair of yours. I hope Lily is better than I am at smoothing this down."

"She isn't." Sirius answered with a grin. "She tends to mess it up more, actually."

Mrs. Potter turned her attention to the best man as James turned a bright shade of red.

"Sirius Black, one day, when some poor woman ends up marrying you I hope these boys torment you just as much." She joked.

"I would expect nothing less from them." Sirius replied, looking at his friends.

Mrs. Potter walked over to Sirius and straightened out his dress robes, brushing his sleeves. "I don't know what James would do without you. You've certainly been a good friend. All of you have."

"Mum, you're getting all sappy on us."

"My only boy is getting married today, of course I'm feeling sentimental. You're off to be with your beautiful wife..." Mrs. Potter drifted off for a moment, and looked on the verge of tears, but quickly regained her composure. "Oh, Merlin… but I suppose your father and I might enjoy the house to ourselves."

"Where is Dad?" James asked curiously. "I haven't seen him all afternoon."

"Oh, you know your father." Mrs. Potter said exasperatedly. "He's down with the wizards setting up the tent, making sure they're doing it right. Poor Mrs. Evans, you know I do forget that she's a muggle sometimes, her eyes were as big as saucers when I showed her what we have set up. I told her it was no trouble at all, just a few simple levitating spells, but the poor dear - I think she's just a tad bit overwhelmed. She's with Lily now, of course, and oh James - I can't wait until you see her. Lily's just so beautiful in her dress."

Peter watched James take a deep breath and take another drink from his glass. His nerves which had been set aside were seeming to return.

James' mum seemed to take note of her son's nerves and sighed. "She's just as nervous as you are. It'll be time for the ceremony soon enough. I need to go downstairs and greet the guests who are arriving. You boys take care of my son."

She gave James a kiss on the cheek before leaving to go downstairs.

The marauders could hear other guests begin to arrive downstairs and soon it seemed like a flood of people were in and out of the home, stopping by the room to gush over how handsome James looked and to assure him that his soon-to-be-wife was equally as stunning. Even Dumbledore had arrived in time to pay a quick visit to the groom, and with a twinkle in his blue eyes, sent his best wishes before wandering back outside to find a seat.

A flutter of wings came through the open window and a large owl came to rest in front of James, a small letter in its beak. Confused, James took the letter and read it silently to himself, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth. He quickly grabbed a spare bit of parchment and scribbled something down in reply, sending it back with the tawny owl.

"What's that?" Peter asked, curious.

James ignored him, tucking the letter into the inside pocket of his jacket and taking a deep breath. "Shall we head downstairs, then?"

The rest were in agreement and the four walked downstairs and outside to the lawn. The Potters were quite well known, as evident by the considerable number of people in attendance. With a few parting words of encouragement, Peter and Remus left to find their seats. At promptly 4pm, a magically enchanted harp began to play and the guests quieted down. James and Sirius walked to the front near the canopy where an old family friend of the Potter's was standing ready to preside over the ceremony. The music continued as James' parents walked down and found their seats in the front. Marlene McKinnon, Lily's maid of honor, walked down the aisle next, in a dress a deep shade of blue and carrying a bouquet of lilies.

As the music changed, everyone stood up and turned their heads as the door to the Potter's home opened to reveal a stunningly beautiful Lily. Her mum walked her down the aisle, and Peter craned his head to get a better glimpse. Lily was as gorgeous as he had ever seen her, in a lace gown that hung perfectly on her body. Her smile was genuine and filled with excitement as she beamed at her soon-to-be-husband waiting at the front for her. Peter looked at James' face which was radiating pure happiness as he stared back at his wife-to-be, seeing her for the first time in her dress. Peter was sure he had never seen a couple so in love.

Peter listened intently as the wizard presiding over the ceremony began to speak about love and marriage, and when it came time for the couple to take their vows, Peter realized that a good number of people around him were dabbing their eyes.

"I, James Potter, take you, Lily Evans, to be my beloved wife, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, to share in good times and bad, and to love and cherish you always... I-I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life." Peter saw Sirius snicker as he saw a tear fall down James' face.

"I, Lily Evans, take you, James Potter, to be my beloved husband, to have and to hold you, to honor you, to treasure you, to be at your side in sorrow and in joy, to share in good times and bad, to love and cherish you always. I promise you this from my heart, for all the days of my life."

The ceremony was short, but moving, and their guests cheered as the two kissed for the first time as husband and wife. ("Oye! Save some for later!" Sirius had insisted as James had continued to repeatedly kiss his new wife.) Both James' parents and Lily's mum were beaming with joy. The couple held hands tightly as they walked cheerfully down the aisle exiting the ceremony, sharing another kiss or two as they went.

Where the ceremony had been short, beautiful, and simple, the reception was rich and exciting. James' parents had spared no expense on their only son's wedding: a beautiful golden tent with floating lights and stunning decorations. After some mingling while the young couple and their families were taking photos, Peter was grateful that it was almost time for dinner. He and Remus were seated at a table close to the front, and soon after Lily and James entered the reception, food magically appeared in front of the guests. Peter finished his plate, as it was much better food than his mum normally cooked, and noticed that Remus did the same, although he was sure that Remus was just grateful for the free meal. He had grately missed the meals at Hogwarts since graduation, and assumed that Remus did as well.

Not long after dinner, James and Lily shared their first dance as husband and wife as the band struck up a familiar wizarding love song.

"You have thought he'd taken up ballroom dancing our seventh year instead of charms." Remus joked, nodding to James. "I've never seen a man so happy to be dancing the waltz."

"I heard Sirius was giving him pointers." Peter suggested.

"Well that does explain the extra hip swings that James keeps putting in there." Remus chuckled.

Peter watched the couple with growing envy. He had never had much luck with women, not like James and Sirius, and he was becoming frustrated that none of the female guests at the wedding had even really taken notice of him so far. After Lily and James' dance, the reception quickly got into full swing. James and Lily danced lovingly around the room with their parents, their guests, and each other while Sirius could be seen dancing with a variety of Lily's friends from their Hogwarts years. After another drink or two, Peter started to feel a little better and began to debate making a move on a witch he recognized being from Hufflepuff.

"Stop staring at them like they're food and go ask one to dance." Sirius told Peter, sitting down next to him.

Peter stared at him. "They'd rather dance with you."

Sirius shrugged, "That's probably true, Pete. Which is why I'm not wasting much time sitting down. Come on now, the night is young, women are plenty, and we're all several drinks in. Now's your moment, Wormtail. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Peter danced with several of the women that Sirius introduced him to, however he had unfortunately stepped on a toe or two before realized that he wasn't much of a dancer. Peter couldn't help but jealously notice as one of the women he was dancing with continued to eye Sirius as he danced dramatically around the room with an exotic young witch. When the song ended, the young woman gave Peter some excuse about how she needed to check on her friend and disappeared before the next song started. Sighing, Peter wandered back towards the table where Remus was still sitting as the ringing sound of someone tapping a glass filled their ears.

"Time for toasts!" Remus said, nudging him and noticing his sullen expression.

Realizing this was no time to be unhappy, Peter put on a smile and peered over the other guests to see Sirius standing by James with a champagne flute in both of their hands.

"It's no secret that James and I have taken a lot of risks in our short lives," he paused, catching eyes with Remus and Peter for a moment and grinning. "But the greatest risk that my dear friend took was not, in fact, exploring the forbidden forest in the late hours of night, nor was it performing daredevil-esque stunts on his broomstick while hundreds of feet up in the air. No, the greatest risk that my best friend took was falling in love with beautiful Lily Evans. She's an amazing witch: smart, talented, funny, charming. And for obvious reasons, Lily strongly disliked James for most of the time they've known each other. But James was persistent, you see, never giving up and always remaining convinced that one day the beautiful redhead would find him equally attractive. It was a risky bet, mate, and I am ashamed to have lost a good handful of galleons on this." He grinned, "Here's to worthy risk, to endless love, and to a long and happy life for the both of you!"

Hours later, James and Lily had decided that it was finally time for their night to be over and called everyone's attention. James had more than a slight wobble to his step now and Lily's face was flushed as she loosely held a glass almost empty of wine in her hand.

"My wonderful friends and family, my beautiful bride and I are so glad that you were able to celebrate with us tonight, but I'm afraid it's time for you all to go home so that my bride and I can spend some time to ourselves." James announced, wiggling his eyebrows towards Lily who in turn rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Shouldn't have let him drink all that alcohol. Merlin knows he'll blame me if he can't perform." Sirius laughingly muttered to his two friends.

"I'm surprised Lily let him drink that much." Peter said.

Sirius shrugged. "I saw Marlene slipping her drinks too, so I don't think she was worrying about it."

"They were so nervous. I don't blame them." Remus smiled.

"This is it, my fellow marauders." Sirius announced to the other two, "Prongs is no longer a bachelor like the rest of us. He's all old and grown and wise. Actually, I don't know about wise, but certainly old. Me? I'll enjoy my bachelorhood as long as I can. I'm in no desire to have a woman barking me orders. Got enough of that from my mum to last a lifetime."

The new Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked around to say a final goodbye to their friends before heading to their honeymoon suite. Tomorrow they would leave for France and spend the next week there. Peter was envious that they were getting the chance to escape London for even a small amount of time; tensions were becoming higher as Voldemort was growing stronger and Peter knew it would only get worse.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated :)<p>

Next Up: a very merry birthday celebration and the marauder's first glimpse at Godric's Hollow


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